How a deal with 8 'traitors' would help build Intel, Apple — and Silicon Valley : The Indicator from Planet Money In 1957, a group of scientists fed up with their boss set the modern venture capital model in motion. Today, the story of the unconventional investment idea behind Silicon Valley startup culture and so much of the technology we use today.

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How venture capital built Silicon Valley

How venture capital built Silicon Valley

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THOMAS COEX/AFP via Getty Images
This photograph shows a close-up of microprocessors and semiconductors on a stand at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the telecom industry&#039;s biggest annual gathering, in Barcelona on February 27, 2023. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP) (Photo by THOMAS COEX/AFP via Getty Images)
THOMAS COEX/AFP via Getty Images

In 1957, a group of Northern California scientists fed up with their boss sent an S.O.S. to a New York investment firm. They weren't looking for money. They were hoping someone might know a better employer for the team. But the investment banker who got their letter had a different idea.

Today, we retrace the story of the investment gambit that set the template for modern venture capital and the eight 'traitors' who took the deal and turned Silicon Valley into what it is today.

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For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.